Patent Application
20250122706
This invention is directed to a showerhead support system, in particular, to a standalone adjustable showerhead support system.
A bath is one of life's simplest pleasures and a critical component of personal hygiene. Yet for some populations (e.g., the elderly or chronically ill) this is a major challenge. The purpose of a daily bath is not just cleanliness, but it also improves a person's self-image, emotional, and mental well-being, which has a direct impact on their physical well-being. Experts say that for the aging population, “losing the ability to bathe is associated with having falls, fracturing bones, and even being admitted to a nursing home.” In fact, nearly a quarter million people are injured in the bathroom each year, and 70% of them are injured while bathing.
Elderly individuals have difficulty with movement, specifically being able to stand for long periods of time and raise their arms over their head. This causes issues while bathing and makes it difficult for the elderly to wash their hair and back.
Similarly, temporarily limited people (those with broken bones, pregnant women, people recovering from surgery, etc.) are unable to stand in the shower or have limited range of motion due to their ‘ailment’.
For the above people, it is difficult to hold a showerhead for the duration of a shower due to weakened muscles. Showering can be messy if the flow of water is not properly contained, this is especially difficult when using a removable showerhead because there is no way to stabilize it. Moreover, some facilities don't allow people who would be otherwise independent to bathe themselves for fear of accidental strangulation with the shower hose.
To address these issues, there are currently two options on the market, (1) assisted or self-sponge bathing and (2) a stationary clip which holds the showerhead to the leg of a shower chair. Considering five categories for comparison: independence, flexibility, comfort, containment, and time saving, both current solutions are inadequate.
Sponge bathing does not offer independence, especially if it's assisted, then the person has no control over what is happening and if they do it themselves, it would be infeasible to reach their entire body. Similarly, this option does not offer flexibility as the person can only reach as much as their range of motion allows. In terms of comfort, during a sponge bath a person is exposed to the air whilst being washed, which leads to a very cold and uncomfortable experience. Additionally, sponge baths are often done in places outside of a shower, such as in a bed, which can be very messy because the water is not contained (i.e., poor containment). Lastly, bathing another person can be a time-consuming task and may require multiple people, depending upon how resistant a person is to being bathed.
A stationary clip does not enable full independence while bathing because the person is only able to reach the parts of their body which they can reach without assistance, which also means it lacks flexibility. Due to the limitations users may be facing, often times trying to wash their body, especially their back and hair, is uncomfortable and potentially painful. This also makes it difficult for the user to control the flow of water as there is nothing to stabilize the showerhead during the bathing process, which can lead to a mess. Thus, this solution does not provide containment. Lastly, the user will more than likely require assistance when using this, to get fully clean, which requires the time of multiple people.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide people with physical limitations a standalone adjustable showerhead that allows them the ability to bathe or take a shower independently.
Accordingly, it is the subject of this invention to provide a standalone adjustable showerhead support system that moves a removable showerhead along a track, laterally, up/down and forwards/backwards, enabling independence and promoting comfort while bathing.
In one embodiment, the showerhead support system 10 helps facilitate showers for users that require an assistant and/or a chair while showering. Showerhead support system 10 functions as a standalone system, thereby allowing the showerhead support system 10 to be moved from place to place and to be used in different showers.
Showerhead support system 10 provides a user with three degrees of freedom for the showerhead 155, 1) front to back, 2) telescoping or height (that is, showerhead 155 can be moved up and down to adjust for different heights of the user), and 3) side to side or laterally. In this way, showerhead support system 10 can provide shower spray to most areas of the body.
As shown in
All of the components of showerhead support connector assembly may be made of any suitable material, including, but not limited to metal, plastic, rubber or any combination thereof.
Showerhead leg assembly 200 is depicted in
In one embodiment, showerhead support leg 210 may include two pieces that are capable of being adjusted in height by way of first height adjustment bracket 220 and second height adjustment bracket 230. Telescoping height adjustment is well known in the industry and thus will not be further described herein. First height adjustment bracket 220 and second height adjustment bracket 230 are capable of locking in place so that showerhead support leg 210 does not move. Second height adjustment bracket 230 prevents the height of showerhead support leg 210 from being adjusted below a certain point.
Showerhead support base 300 is depicted in
Support guide 350 is embodied as a hollow tube, which is capable of receiving and guiding showerhead support leg 210. Support knobs 360 may be tightened so as to impinge on showerhead support leg 210 thereby providing a tight fit. In other embodiments, support guide 350 may be excluded, although this will reduce stability.
As seen in
As seen in
It is noted that any configuration of showerhead support base 300 may be suitable as long as it is capable of directly or indirectly supporting support leg 210. In a less preferred embodiment, showerhead support leg 210 may be affixed directly to showerhead support base 300.
In most embodiments, showerhead support system 10 will be constructed mainly out of plastic and metal, mostly aluminum. It is noted that any suitable material may be used to make the various components of showerhead support system 10. The connectors will be mostly constructed from molded plastics.
The features of showerhead support system 10 provide its users with independence, flexibility, comfort, containment, while saving time. In terms of independence and flexibility, showerhead support system 10 has multiple degrees of freedom (flexibility). Showerhead support system 10 puts less strain on the individual and allows them to stay in the warm water for the duration of the bathing process, which provides a more comfortable and pleasurable bathing experience. The combination of showerhead holster and hose guard ensure that the flow of water is controlled and thus contained. Showerhead support system 10 promotes independence while bathing making it more pleasurable and eliminating the need for assistance, which ultimately saves time.
Although showerhead support system 10 is primarily described as a standalone system, it is understood that showerhead support system assembly 100 may function without showerhead support leg assembly 300 or showerhead support base 300. In this embodiment, showerhead support system assembly 100 may be attached directly to the wall of the shower or may be suspended from the ceiling of the shower. In these embodiments, showerhead support track 120 may or may not be capable of pivoting. In the embodiment where showerhead support system assembly 100 is connected to the wall of the shower, the connection point may be capable of providing a pivoting motion for the showerhead support track 120. In the embodiment where showerhead support system 100 assembly is suspended overhead, it may be more difficult to provide a pivoting motion for the showerhead support track 120.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the standalone showerhead support system 10 has been described in detail herein, the invention is not necessarily so limited and other examples, embodiments, uses, modifications, and departures from the embodiments, examples, uses, and modifications may be made without departing from the process and all such embodiments are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
